Drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles protested a proposed transportation plan in the state of Virginia, which would charge them $100 per year.

The $3.1 billion transportation plan, which was proposed by Gov. Bob McDonnell, would eliminate Virginia's gas tax entirely. However, drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles would have to pay an annual fee of $100 to make up for it.

"It's meant to compensate for the federal gas tax that those vehicles do not pay," said McDonnell.

However, hybrid and electric vehicle drivers feel that this plan thwarts progress in the area of clean vehicles rather than encourages it. Some drivers have even called the fee a "punishment."

"We should be rewarding people for trying to do their part to stop the climate crisis and to lower pollution," said Beth Kemler, who attended the protest. "We shouldn't be punishing them with taxes."

In other U.S. states, such as California, residents are awarded for making green auto choices. California residents can save as much as $13,000 on the purchase of an electric vehicle through the use of tax rebates/credits.

quote: "We should be rewarding people for trying to do their part to stop the climate crisis and to lower pollution," said Beth Kemler, who attended the protest. "We shouldn't be punishing them with taxes."

Uh-huh. And what good are your hybrids and EVs going to do you after all the roads and bridges have crumbled apart because there wasn't enough gas tax collected to maintain them?

Such people are absolute a$$hats. The tax on fuel at the pump pays to keep the roads in servicable condition. If you buy a vehicle that allows you to skirt paying those taxes, and then don't want want to make up for it in another way (like this $100 fee), then you're nothing more than a leech on society.

If I wanted to be a total douche like that, I could buy ag diesel and run that in my truck...and likely never get caught. Then I wouldn't have to pay road taxes either. How about that?

What the majority of posters entirely fail to comprehend is that roads are not a per usage or a wear and tear facility. They are a social infrastructure. The heavy truck is providing goods and services to the economy and as such EVERYBODY uses the roads whether you own a vehicle or not, whether you travel on roads or not. If you want to live in a society where everybody is forced to pull their weight then go live in a commune. If you want to live in a society where the rewards for success can be disproportionately high relative to the effort and skills that gained those rewards, then welcome to (social) capitalism and stop whinging about the "society in total" that provides you with that opportunity.

Government is in the business of infrastructure and social reform, those are its two purposes. Human society must move forward or stagnate and a part of that necessary change means that you can't drive around in your late 60s V8 forever. A change to EVs must come. The rate at which that change occurs and the methods and extent of regulation employed by government can be debated. However, if you believe that "the market will choose" then you are deluded. The "market" is regulated and manipulated, and it is most certainly not "free". The simplistic idea that capitalism is a "free market" and that the "market" will choose winners and losers is a myth built on simple minded ignorance.

"We are going to continue to work with them to make sure they understand the reality of the Internet. A lot of these people don't have Ph.Ds, and they don't have a degree in computer science." -- RIM co-CEO Michael Lazaridis